I'm doing some talks back at my old school including one about Oxbridge - applying, choosing colleges etc. Have tried trawling a few threads to get the equivalent answers for Cambridge but it's taking too long and I've got shizzle to do
So could some nice Tabs please give me examples of:
1. A couple of central colleges
2. The one that's really far away (thought it was G+C but I appear to be wrong...)
3. A couple of the biggest colleges
4. A couple of the smallest colleges
5. Somewhere that's uber sporty apart from Jesus (funnily enough I already know about them )
Also does the Oxford system of most music being very uni-wide and collegiate orchestras (but not chapel choirs) being generally of only about Grade 5 standard still hold there? I've got the impression that collegiate music is bigger for you guys...
1. There are quite a few central colleges, as there's a whole strip of them on the river. Take your pick from Queens', King's, Clare, Trinity Hall, Trinity, St John's, Christ's, Pembroke, Corpus Christi, Gonville and Caius.
2. Girton is the one that's "really" far away, but it's only a couple of miles away. Homerton is also substantially outside of the city centre.
3. In terms of undergrad numbers, Trinity is the largest. Then there's a bunching of St John's, Girton, Gonville and Caius, Queens', Jesus.
4. The smallest undergrad colleges are Peterhouse and Corpus Christi, which swap the title of smallest from year to year. They have just under 200 undergrads.
5. I'm not sure, to be honest, that there are other uber-sporty colleges. St John's is probably the only college that springs to mind.
I think you're broadly right with the music. We have the big central orchestras (CUMS, CUSO) which require grade 8 at least, but then most colleges will have their own music society with much less stringent demands (Queens' choral society is non-audition...). There are university-wide orchestras that have lower standards, and even the college orchestras play some pretty challenging stuff (this year Queens' performed Shostakovitch's 2nd piano concerto and Carmina Burana in the same concert).
i'm sorry. i refuse to help someone who could possibly think such a stupid thing. caius is THE most central college. ****ing hell.
sometimes i think i'm a little touchy..
but no, coldfish seems to have answered everything. in terms of sportiness, i wasn't aware jesus was particularly sporty? it is one of the 'rowing colleges', but the only one that really gets called truly sporty is johns, and that's mainly because of rugby. i know caius just won the cricket cuppers this year, but i doubt very much we have a yearly domination in cricket..
a good idea might be to say which colleges are (meant) to be the best for each subject, e.g. trinity maths, downing law, caius medicine...
I would stay away from any college stereotypes, tbh. Although it's true that there are slight differences between colleges, it seems hard to persuade people that they are as minor as they are. As soon as you mention that Trinity is "the maths college", that John's is "sporty", and that Peterhouse has less than its fair share of state schooled students, people begin to think that these are hard and fast rules that are never broken.
I would stay away from any college stereotypes, tbh. Although it's true that there are slight differences between colleges, it seems hard to persuade people that they are as minor as they are. As soon as you mention that Trinity is "the maths college", that John's is "sporty", and that Peterhouse has less than its fair share of state schooled students, people begin to think that these are hard and fast rules that are never broken.
the impression becomes self-perpetuating after a bit, too; Clare is known as the "musical college" and, because it has supposedly high standards of music, only the best apply.
****
I think Jesus is known as sporty more because of all the sports grounds on site, rather than actually being mahoosively good.
Tbf, Jesus do win everything, or at least do very well in all sports. I think we won the football, hockey and athletics cuppers this year, as well as doing well in rugby and rowing, for example. It's one of the advantages of being a big college which doesn't only recruit mathmos.
I would stay away from any college stereotypes, tbh. Although it's true that there are slight differences between colleges, it seems hard to persuade people that they are as minor as they are. As soon as you mention that Trinity is "the maths college", that John's is "sporty", and that Peterhouse has less than its fair share of state schooled students, people begin to think that these are hard and fast rules that are never broken.
I would very much agree with this. I would steer clear of mentioning any college stereotypes at all tbh, it might put people off applying to some colleges/make them feel obliged to apply (eg if a college is 'good' for their subject). Probably best to stick to things that are objectively true (eg Girton IS the furthest away, Newnham/New Hall are female colleges - though Girton and Newnham are both really nice colleges so don't put people off applying there!!! Never seen New Hall so can't comment...).
Any of Trinity, St John's, Trinity Hall, Caius and Gonville, Queens, Clare, Kings, Corpus Christi, St Catherines, Pembroke, Peterhouse, Emmanuel, Christs, Downing, Jesus, or Magdalene.
Originally Posted by Bekaboo
2. The one that's really far away (thought it was G+C but I appear to be wrong...)
Girton by a long shot, and then next furthest is Homerton.
Originally Posted by Bekaboo
3. A couple of the biggest colleges
Homerton, Trinity, St John's.
Originally Posted by Bekaboo
4. A couple of the smallest colleges
Peterhouse (the smallest), Trinity Hall, Corpus Christi.
Originally Posted by faik_kheft
Never seen New Hall so can't comment...).
Its not the ugliest, but certainly not a looker. Lots of white and grey.
i'm sorry. i refuse to help someone who could possibly think such a stupid thing. caius is THE most central college. ****ing hell.
Oh for goodness sake - go on then, off the top of your head, name me the most central college in Oxford. I've never been to Cambridge. I never looked at applying to Cambridge in any detail. I established, from a map, that G+C was not the far out one, but sadly said map did not show far out colleges because it only showed the centre. I got the G right.
but no, coldfish seems to have answered everything. in terms of sportiness, i wasn't aware jesus was particularly sporty?
Well they kicked us in the majority of sports at Jesus Jesus and told us themselves they had a reputation
lol, it took me a while to work out what it meant. I saw Jesus M3 or whichever boat it was (yours?) rowing up to the start, so wrong direction I suppose, and was like, is that some company thats sponsored them ? Then I saw the red and black and worked it out
in terms of the music things, college orchestras aren't generally of a high standard, apart from one or two (read trinity)
as for choirs, i get the impression from friends who know both places that chapel choirs are more serious in cambridge, and although oxford has a few good places, the sheer number of good choirs here outstrip oxford. although this is prob not true for choral socs etc.
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? Then I saw the red and black and worked it out 
